Showing posts with label Nova Scotia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nova Scotia. Show all posts

Saturday, June 20, 2015

The International Gathering of the Clans, 2015 will be held in Nova Scotia


I couldn’t think of any better place than to hold the International Gathering of the Clans in Nova Scotia – New Scotland!
 
It will take place from July the 1st to July 25th , and there will be events in Pugwash, New Glasgow, Antigonish, Yarmouth, and Halifax.
 
July 1st will begin with a flag raising ceremony at the Pugwash Gathering of the Clans, and the Official Opening will be held in Halifax on July 3rd at the Grand Parade.

The Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo in Nova Scotia will be running during the first week with acts from all over the world.

June 30 – July 7 Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo will be held in Halifax.

July 1 Gathering of the Clans and Festival There will be flag-raising and first event of the 10th International Gathering of the Clans. This will ne held in Pugwash.

July 3 Flag-raisingFlag-raising Halifax City Hall, 11:30 a.m Reception courtesy Clan Lamont & Clan Stewart/Stuart. This will be held in Halifax.
 
July 5 Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan St. Matthew’s United Church, Barrington St., Halifax
Sponsored by The Scots and the FSCNS. Reception to follow. This will be held in Halifax.
 
July 5 – 12 Antigonish Highland Games.
 
July 15-19 Festival of Tartans & Highland Games New Glasgow.
 
July 25 Closing of the 10th International Gathering to be held at the Yarmouth Seafest Festival, Yarmoth, Nova Scotia.
 
The offical site for the International Gathering of the Clans, 2015 is http://www.cassoc.ca/frameset.htm
 
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Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/06/canadian-week-in-review-15-june-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada
 
 

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Another online resource in Canada


The McCulloch Heritage Centre in Pictou, Nova Scotia is starting to put their photographs and collections of historical significance to family history, with emphasis on the arrival of the Scots in 1773, online. The page is titled Find Your Scottish Roots

If you go to their site at http://www.mccullochcentre.ca/, and log in, you will see where they have started already to put on wills, photos, and there is lots more to come. Census records, diaries, photographs, wills, deeds and newspapers will be added in the future.

To go to the McCulloch Heritage Centre itself, their website is at https://mccullochhouse.novascotia.ca/about-mcculloch-house/mcculloch-heritage-centre

Happy Researching!

 

Friday, May 22, 2015

North Sydney Heritage Museum, Nova Scotia


Thirty years ago, the people of North Sydney, Nova Scotia built a heritage museum because they wanted some place to put all of their artifacts and paper documents.

They have just recently renovated the place, and now they have a number of exhibitions on display.  These exhibits centre around immigration, transportation, the military and communication.

They are also planning to have a number of speakers come to the museum this summer, and one of them will be Joan Dawson who has written A History of Nova Scotia in 50 Objects. She will appear on Monday the 25 of May from 7-8 p.m.

She has also authored Mapmaker's Legacy, Nova Scotia's Lost Highways, and Nova Scotia's Historic Rivers.

The website is http://www.northsydneymuseum.ca/index.html

=========================================================================
SPECIAL OFFER!!!!!!!!!

Need help in finding your Canadian ancestors?

As a nod of the hat to the Ontario Genealogical Conference being held in Barrie, Ontario from May 29 to May 31, may we take this opportunity to offer a month-long discount on our research and consultation services of 15% (ends 11 June at midnight).

Just go to Elizabeth Lapointe Research Services at www.elrs.biz, or send an email with the subject "special" to genealogyresearch@aol.com to see how I can help you find that elusive Canadian ancestor!

Research Tip!  There are immigration records for North Sydney from November 1906 to August 1922. The immigrants came from Newfoundland and St-Pierre et Miquelon.  r========================================================================

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/05/canadian-week-in-review-18-may-2014.html
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Historical Council Minutes Now Online



Over 250 years of municipal council meeting minutes of the City of Halifax (1841-1996), Town/City of Dartmouth (1873-1996), County of Halifax (1878-1996), and Town of Bedford (1979-1996) of Nova Scotia have been digitized, and they are now online and searchable! 
 
 
 Happy researching!
 


Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.
 
It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!
 
It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012
 

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Digitized Directory of Schools


This afternoon I was doing some research in Nova Scotia, and I came across the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development: Digitized Directory of Schools (1950s-present) at  bit.ly/1Cn6wXE

They name the school, where it is located, and how many teachers were employed at the school, and starting in 1958, they give the principles names, and extra information about the schools. There are even notes in some of the books that may prove helpful.

They are organized by the counties, and then by school districts within the individual county. 

Happy researching!



Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/04/canadian-week-in-review-13-april-2015_13.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

The Conference has been cancelled!



On the website of the National Genealogy Conference in Canada at http://www.visiontravel.ca/heidiwilker it says that the Conference has been CANCELLED!

They say that “Regretfully, we must cancel the National Genealogy Conference in Canada for July 17-19, 2015.

Many thanks to the planned speakers for their willingness to support an inaugural national genealogy conference in Canada, to the companies and organizations who were willing to support the conference through sponsorship, and to those who generously helped to spread the word to their network of genealogists”.

So the Conference saga has come to an end. It wasn’t unexpected. Because the cost was too high for most people, and having lived in Halifax for 20+ years, I would go for an outdoors vacation where I could visit the sights, rather than stay indoors at a conference.

So maybe they can come back to underwrite another Comference at some future date. We shall see.

Meanwhile, here are two blogs I wrote on the Conference -

January 9, 2015 National Genealogy Conference in Canada http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/national-genealogy-conference-in-canada.html

January 27, 2015 The conference lowers its price – sort of ... http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-conference-lowers-its-price-sort-of.html




Friday, January 23, 2015

Name a ferry!

Transport Canada wants your ideas for the naming of a new ferry which will cross the Bay of Fundy between Digby, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick.

Greg Kerr, MP for West Nova, at a meeting in Digby, said the name should have some regional significance, and has to mean something to people on both sides of the Bay of Fundy.

One name which he said he had heard has been Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer and cartographer who made the first accurate map of the coast of Canada. But all ideas of a name are welcome.

There are guidelines for you to follow, and some of them are -
  • It should promote Canadian culture, history or geography by honouring people or places of importance to Canadians.
  • It should have some regional significance. The name should be brief and easily understood by radio or phone.
  • Complicated or confusing spelling or pronunciation should be avoided.
  • If it is has professional or honorific titles, like Dr. or Right Honourable, and family abbreviations, like Jr. or III, they should be avoided.
  • A vessel name will only be considered for persons posthumously.
  • Canadian citizens can enter as many suggestions as they wish, but only until 20 February 2015.
Forms are available at the ferry terminals in Digby and Saint John, as well as online at http://www.ferries.ca/naming.

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Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-19-january-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Friday, January 16, 2015

GANS "Lest We Forget" Workshop

On January 24th, the Genealogists Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) is hosting a workshop called Lest We Forget Workshop, led by two representatives of the Halifax Public Libraries, to work hands-on with First World War military services files for both soldiers and nursing sisters.

There is no cost for this workshop.

According to their press release, "After a brief introduction to Canadian military records, each participant will be given a real Canadian Expeditionary Forces service file of a Nova Scotian soldier or nursing sister, with the task of finding out their personal war story. At the end of the workshop, participants will share their discoveries and questions with the rest of the group. Halifax Public Library staff Joanne McCarthy O'Leary and Vicki Clark will be on hand to assist with research and advice on further research. Please see flyer attached with times and location".

This is restricted to 25 participants, so register soon to secure your spot.

To register, send an email to membership@novascotiaancestors.ca

The GANS website is http://www.novascotiaancestors.ca

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/NovaScotiaAncestors

If you haven’t done so alreay, remember to check the Canadian Week in Review Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

Nova Scotia Schoolhouse Receives Heritage Designation


At November's town council meeting, a small one-room schoolhouse in Truro, Nova Scotia, received heritage designation. Originally located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, it is now on the Nova Scotia Community College's property on Arthur Street in Truro.

The Little White Schoolhouse Museum's website http://littlewhiteschool.ca has a picture of the schoolhouse, and lots of material in their archives, such as texts “used in Nova Scotia schools and other books relating to education from the mid-1800s to the early 1970s. In addition, annual Reports of the Superintendent of Education from 1851 onwards, the Journal of Education and other publications from 1893 onwards”.

They can also assist you to research student records of the Provincial Normal School, and the Provincial Normal College from 1854 to 1946.

My great-aunt Josephine Barclay, from Jordan River, Shelburne County, went to the Provincial Normal College in 1908, and then went to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont, where she taught school. She was married to the Rev. George Gellatly.

Check the Canadian Week in Review Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/01/canadian-week-in-review-12-january-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

Monday, September 29, 2014

Canadian Week in Review - 29 September 2014



I have come across the following Canadian websites, social media items, and newspaper articles this past week that were of interest to me, and I thought you might be interested in them, too.

History Week in Canada


In 1780, Benedict Arnold escaped one day after his treason came to light in what was to become the United States. Arnold, a major-general, and commander of the American Fort West Point, had planned to surrender the fort to the British. He became a colonel in the British army, and later lived in Saint John, New Brunswick. He then returned to England, where he died in 1801.

===================================================
In 1962, the "Garden of the Provinces" in Ottawa was opened by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.

To read more about this park, that is opposite the Library and Archives Canada, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_the_Provinces_and_Territories
===================================================


Social Media


(Blog) The Recipe Project
http://recipes.hypotheses.org/4378
Valarie J. Korinek is the author of this blog, and a Professor of Canadian History at the University of Saskatchewan.

Nova Scotia

Delegates visit area for N.S. Heritage Conference
http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2014-09-23/article-3879913/Delegates-visit-area-for-N.S.-Heritage-Conference/1
Pictou County, Nova Scotia hosted the Nova Scotia Heritage Conference.

History-Ed Coleman: First World War humour in Hansford’s stories
http://www.novanewsnow.com/Opinion/Columnists/2014-09-21/article-3875711/History-Ed-Coleman%3A-First-World-War-humour-in-Hansford%26rsquo%3Bs-stories/1
Born in 1899, the former Wolfville barber, Cecil Hansford, was 16 when he joined the Canadian Army to fight in the First World War.

Lighthouse mural by Yarmouth artist an attraction for Nova Scotia visitors
http://www.kingscountynews.ca/News/Local/2014-09-23/article-3878832/Lighthouse-mural-by-Yarmouth-artist-an-attraction-for-Nova-Scotia-visitors/1
A Yarmouth artist has painted a mural of 144 Nova Scotia lighthouses that will meet everybody who takes the ferry from Maine to this Nova Scotian town.

New Brunswick

N.B.’s 104th finally gets its due
http://thechronicleherald.ca/books/1239446-nb-s-104th-finally-gets-its-due
Regiment’s War of 1812 efforts shown to be more than a footnote.

Quebec

The Treaty of Paris is in town
http://www.lifeinquebec.com/the-treaty-of-paris-is-in-town-10088/
Quebec City (Quebec) 23 September, 2014 – The Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years’ War between France Britain and Spain. The actual treaty, that was signed on February 10, 1763, is on display at the Musée de la Civilisation starting today, September 23 until October 2nd.

Ontario

Excerpt #6 – The First World War: Excerpts from the diary of Woodman Leonard
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/09/25/the-first-world-war-excerpts-from-the-diary-of-woodman-leonard
For links to the other installments, visit last week's CWR post at -
http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2014/09/canadian-week-in-review-22-september.html

Canadian government joins 11th-hour search for John A. Macdonald’s precise birthplace
http://o.canada.com/news/canadian-government-joins-11th-hour-search-for-john-a-macdonalds-precise-birthplace
Barely 100 days before planned celebrations to mark the bicentennial of Sir John A. Macdonald’s birth in Glasgow, Scotland, the Canadian government has joined in an 11th-hour search for the precise birthplace of the country’s founding prime minister.

Science and Technology museum closed until 2015
http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/09/23/science-and-tech-museum-closed-until-2015
The Canada Science and Technology Museum will remain close until at least January 2015 because of mould.

Health unit looks back at its history
http://www.northernlife.ca/news/localNews/2014/09/22-sdhu-history-sudbury.aspx
A painstaking account of Sudbury's environmental history, going back to 1883, when Sudbury was only a Canadian Pacific Railway Outpost.

Here are the details on the RCAF’s new uniforms and ranks
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/here-are-the-details-on-the-rcafs-new-uniforms-and-ranks
The Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) new uniform respects the contributions and sacrifices of airmen and airwomen who served – and continue to serve – with pride and professionalism.

Afghanistan added to Tillsonburg's cenotaph, dedication ceremony planned Oct. 7
http://www.tillsonburgnews.com/2014/09/25/afghanistan-added-to-tillsonburgs-cenotaph-dedication-ceremony-planned-oct-7

Local residents are invited to a special dedication ceremony at the town cenotaph on Tuesday, October 7th to honour members of the International Security Assistance Force who served in Afghanistan.

Alberta

Can we save McKay Avenue School? Or is our history doomed to be history?
http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/category/edmonton-commons/
McKay Avenue School, built in 1904, also played host to Alberta’s first legislative assemblies. Today, it’s a school museum, and on the endanger list to be torn down.


Alberta Aviation Museum receives historic air mail letter
The letter was part of the very first air mail delivery in Western Canada, flown from Calgary to Edmonton on July 9th, 1918 by Katherine Stinson, in an insubstantial wood and fabric aircraft.

Bison treaty signed by Alberta, Montana tribes
1st treaty among tribes and First Nations in the area since the 1800s
Native tribes from the U.S. and Canada signed a treaty Tuesday establishing an inter-tribal alliance to restore bison to areas of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains where millions of the animals once roamed.


British Columbia 

Aboriginal tourism operator rebuked for opening burial boxes for travellers
http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/aboriginal-tourism-operator-rebuked-for-opening-burial-boxes-for-travellers-1.2774255
The actions of an aboriginal tourism operator in British Columbia who gave some travellers access to ancient burial boxes, including revealing the skeletal remains inside, have been condemned by his fellow First Nations.

Story of the Week




The society’s webpage is changing
(Editorial)

In years gone by, I used to go to a society’s website to see what was new with the organization, as well as its events,  latest publications, and their yearly executive.

There was so many changes I used to highlight it on my old news summary every week, and later, the Canadian Week in Review, but as time marched on, websites became less and less important, while on the other hand, the Member’s-Only webpages in the majority of a society’s website were becoming more important.

Then, about three years ago or so, the use of blogs by societies became the go-to media of choice for societies. But blogs quickly went out of style, mainly because they needed someone to look after them as people naturally graduated toward them. They needed someone to update them on a daily basis, and it became a hard job to find somebody within the society to take on that responsibility. And then Facebook came into the picture!

In a way, Facebook is their saving grace, because it can do everything that a webpage can do, plus it can add photos, videos, and other people can quickly comment on the posting, so it’s an "everybody" page. People have a feeling that the society belongs to them; whereas, the webpages and even blogs seemed somewhat distant, and there has to be a reason why only about 10% of the genealogy audience reads blogs, while as many as 70% read Facebook to see what is going on (according to a recent survey).

And now Google+ is making inroads on Facebook, although I believe that people are so used to Facebook now, it will be difficult to switch over to Google+. Most of the genealogists I know use Goggle+, along with a combination of Facebook, and yes, even blogs to keep up the date on genealogy news. And with the acquisition of YouTube, and video "Hang Outs", where you can actually listen to a person or people talk about one's favourite subject – Genealogy – it makes for a good combination.

So that is where I see genealogy going these days, until a new idea comes along.

How about you? Have you found that genealogy is cha
nging the way they get their word across to people? What have you experienced?

Let me know your thoughts, and I might post them in a future issue of CWR!

I can be reached at genealoygcanada@aol.com

Reminder: Check the Canadian Week in Review next Monday for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada. It’s theONLY news blog of its kind in country!

The next post will be on 06 October 2014.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

New home for GANS


I received a notice from the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia (GANS) (of which I am a member), that they have found a new place for their office in the Halifax – Dartmouth area of Nova Scotia.

They had received a notice of termination of their lease from their landlord dated July 1, 2014, and they only had three months to find a new office space.
As the notice says, “An earlier formed Premises Committee chaired by Vice President, Bob Davison and including Executive members Nathaniel Smith, Pam Wile, Jan Fralic-Brown, Holly Gunn and our Executive Director, Dawn Josey, was tasked with finding GANS a new home.

After an aggressive search, the Committee was successful in locating an office that meets GANS current and future needs.

The search committee established a set of criteria for the new location:

1. Room and structural integrity for expansion of research collection.

2. Quiet area for research.

3. Meeting and office administration space.

4. Separate room for processing and storing donations, acquisitions and our inventory.

5. Accessible space.

6. Lecture/large meeting room to seat 50 people.

7. Quiet building, suitable parking and street level visibility in high traffic/high profile area with potential for highly visible signage.

The Committee visited over a dozen locations throughout HRM. The office located in the Quaker Landing building at 33 Ochterloney Street, Dartmouth was the space that best met the above criteria. This 1731 square foot office will have a dedicated library area, a research room and a large meeting room where GANS can hold monthly lectures and workshops. library and collections will be protected for use by our members and the general public”.

So the new office is right downtown, just up from the ferry from Halifax, and is in the perfect place.

They plan to have an Open House once everything is unpacked, and you can
contact them through the Executive Director, Dawn Josey info@novascotiaancestors.ca.

The website is http://www.novascotiaancestors.ca/

The Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/NovaScotiaAncestors

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Annual Accrual of Historical Vital Statistics Now Available

My father (Harold Arthur Barclay) and myself (Elizabeth Anne Barclay) in the Public Gardens in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was a favorite place to go on Sunday afternoons. 

I have been reminded by one of my readers that the Nova Scotia Archives has put on an additional 25,589 historical vital statistics on www.novascotiagenealogy.com

These records were released on 31 December 2013 and since then have been digitized, fully indexed, and checked for quality control. This year's accruals include 14,974 births (1913), 4,233 marriages (1938), and 6,382 deaths (1963). As usual, the birth records include some 'delayed' entries for individuals born in 1913 (or earlier) but not registered until a later date.

My surnames of interest are -

BARCLAY - Shelburne County and Yarmouth County  

BLADES - Shelburne County and Yarmouth County 

WEBSTER - Kings County

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

GANS to hold their Annual General Meeting & Lecture

  

The Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia will hold its Annual General Meeting & Lecture on Saturday, May 10 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Akins A/V Room, Nova Scotia Archives, University and Robie Strrets, Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

The lecture will be given by Terrence M. Punch, and Terry will be talking about his latest publication, Montbeliard Immigration to Nova Scotia, 1749-1752. Do you have the surnames Bailley, Burgoyne, Boutilier, Dorey, Jodrey, Patriquin, Dauphinee, Jollimore, Langille, or Tattrie somewhere in your family background? 

Come hear about where they, and other Montbeliardais, came from. You may learn some surprising facts; for example, at the time of the immigration to Nova Scotia from 1749 to 1752, Montbeliard was an independent Lutheran state. 

Light refreshments to follow. 

2nd Annual Book Sale 

We will be selling back issues of the Nova Scotia Genealogist, duplicates from our library, surplus Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society publications, and much more. Bring along your cash and pick up some great bargains! 

You can check their website at http://www.NovaScotiaAncestors.ca, and their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NovaScotiaAncestors. Twitter is available @NSAncestors

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

UPDATE: GenWeb Cemetery Project

GenWeb Canada has posted updates to the following cemeteries in the provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.

NOVA SCOTIA

Digby County

Waterford Cemetery

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

King's County

Peters Road Cemetery

QUEBEC

Huntingdon County

Hillside Cemetery

Labelle County

Chute-St-Philippe Cemetery

Kiamika Cemetery

Lac Saguay Cemetery 

Lac St-Paul Cemetery n

Ste Anne-du-Lac Cemetery 
 
Val Barrette Cemetery

Gatineau County

East Templeton Cemetery 

St Raphael Cemetery

Papineau County

Notre Dame-de-la-Salette Cemetery

Our thanks go out to Deb Belcher, Jim Anderson & Brenda Marchese for their help in the indexing, and to Angie Garant, Carol, Sharon Sireci and Cheyenne Kepke for taking the photos.

The full list is at http://canadacems.blogspot.com/2014/01/nova-scotia-prince-edward-island-quebec.html

Monday, January 27, 2014

Old Family Photo Workshop

On Saturday March 22, 2014, the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia will present a Photo Workshop as part of the monthly meeting to be held from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the Akins A/V Room, Nova Scotia Archives, 6016 University Ave, Halifax.

The workshop will be lead by Jenny Milligan, MEd, Socio-Costumologist, and will cover -

  • Learn to date old photo
  • Place people in your family tree
  • Help identify faces from your past
  • Browse & study a collection of historic photo & costume reference books

Bring your old photos!

Cost: $25 ($20 for GANS Members)

Register by email to info@NovaScotiaAncestors.ca

You may email 1-2 photos with your registration.

Please note that only 20 places are available for this workshop.

The website of GANS is http://www.novascotiaancestors.ca/

Friday, January 24, 2014

Nova Scotia Census, Assessment and Poll Tax Records, 1770-1795, 1827

Ancestry.ca has taken the records from Nova Scotia Archives and under agreement with the archives, have put them online. 

The Non-Census Records in the Collection Nova Scotia Poll Tax Rolls, 1791–1793.
The index includes the name and location for each person. Records in this collection are from the following counties -

· Annapolis

· Antigonish

· Colchester

· Cumberland

· Guysborough

· Halifax

· Hants

· Kings

· Lunenburg

· Pictou

· Queens

· Shelburne

Tax Records

The tax records are from the Gideon White Family Papers. Gideon White was a loyalist from Massachusetts who moved to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, after the American Revolution. He served as tax collector for a time, and tax records for the years 1786–1787 are included in the collection.

The tax records provide names and addresses of Shelburne taxpayers, occupations, and county and poor taxes owed.

They can be accessed at http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx?dbid=8809

You can also go to the Nova Scotia Archives at http://www.novascotia.ca/nsarm/virtual/census/ and read the individual narrative about each record, and go in-depth into the tax and census records for each of the areas noted above.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

The Nova Scotia Genealogist



The Spring 2013 edition of The Nova Scotia Genealogist with the lovely photo of the painting of the West Hants Historical Society Museum in Windsor, Nova Scotia is on the cover.

An article entitled Visit to West Hants Historical Society by J. Fralic-Brown on page 19 of the edition tells you all that you want to know what the museum holds on its shelves and in filing cabinets.

The main article is The Putman Family of Massachusetts and Nova Scotia by D. Armauda. 

The author says that the complete Putman family history has never been written to his knowledge, and we just get a glimpse of his work in this article.

He has everything sourced, and a very good genealogy explained in very easy to understand terms as he traces them from England, to Massachusetts to Nova Scotia.

They have included the latest books in the Reference Department of the Spring Garden Road Memorial Library, at the GANS Office Library, and the Scotiabank Family History, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in Halifax.

To see more about GANS, visit http://www.novascotiaancestors.ca/ and their Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/NovaScotiaAncestors

Friday, December 6, 2013

Halifax Regional Municipality Archives

One of our readers recently sent me information about the Conversion List from the old street numbering system to the new street numbering system on the Halifax Regional Archives.  

Already the reader says that he has found it very useful and have already looked at several ancestors' houses on Google Street View using the modern address.

He continues on to say that “A lot of my family research focuses on Halifax. Whether using City directories, deed indexes, or death certificates, the civic address of my research subject is often listed and can be used for many helpful purposes. Between 1958-1965 however, the City of Halifax renumbered all civic addresses from a 2-digit to a 4-digit number, so if you're interested in locating the current site of a pre-1958 ancestor's residence you were out of luck”. 

So take a look at the site and the list.  

I had fun this afternoon looking at their Virtual Exhibit which featured photographs, maps, and anniversary events that have taken place in Halifax-Dartmouth over the years.


Thanks to Neal for sending me information on this site.

The website is at 

Friday, October 18, 2013

UPDATE: Nova Scotia 1921 Census

Here is the latest update from Dwayne Meisner -

Hi All, just wanted to let you know that many more sub-districts for the
Province of Nova Scotia have been transcribed. Halifax County is nearing
completion, with only a few more areas to finish,  and of course, the Town
of Dartmouth and the City of Halifax. Annapolis County has had more areas
finished, and I am expecting some more areas from some of our busy volunteer
transcribers, including parts of Lunenburg and Cape Breton Counties, and
others.

There is still a long way to go to finish the whole province. You
can view the completed areas by visiting

If you would like to help by contributing a transcription, see
http://dwaynemeisner.com/census/volunteer.php for information on how to do
it.

Or, if you have a Facebook account, you can follow the progress
here at



Sunday, September 29, 2013

MacDonald family history

Here is some news from Ron Zinck, who posts to the NSRoots mailing list quite often -

“I spent part of my Friday the Archives of Ontario working my way through
the collection of Rev. Ewen MacDonald. He worked for decades on Scottish
history and the McDonald family history. I have a number of scans that may
be of interest to researchers and I suspect I will have allot more after
every visit. This batch includes letters and a few charts that discusses
Antigonish, Cape Breton, and different septs in Scotland.

I hope that some of the MacDonald researchers will be able to help decipher, interpret and place these scans in context."

I uploaded them onto Google drive at this link
https://drive.google.com/?tab=mo&authuser=0#folders/